Spring bed-bottom



J'. M.V M. GERNERD.

SPRING BBD BOTTOM.

10.326,555. Patented sept. 22, l1885.

l E U (No Moden.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

J. M. M. GBRNERD;

SPRINGBED BOTTOM.

No. 326,555. l Patented Sept. ZZ, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEREMIAH M. M. GERNERD, OF MUNCY, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPRING BEDfBOTTONI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,555, dated September 22, 1885.

Application filed May 1B, 1885. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, J EEEMIAE M. M. GER- NERD, of Muncy, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring Bed-Bottoms, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of spring bed-bottoms in which are provided conical or helical springs arranged in rows upon slats and ilexibly connected at their upper ends; and my object is to provide abcd-bottom of this class which shall be strong, durable, and simple in construction and prevsent an evenly elastic surface.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a complete bed-bottom constructed in accordance with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a View in elevation of one of the corner supporting-springs and its stay-spring, with the slat to which these parts are secured; and Fig. 3 is a view, partly in plan and partly in section, of one of the supporting-springs.

Any desired number of supporting-springs A, of suitable construction, are arranged in parallel rows corresponding in number with the number of slats employedz These springs in this instance are shown as each constructed with its widest portion at top, and consisting of a suitable number of coils gradually decreasing in diameter from its top toward its bottom, with the bottom coil, c, enlarged, so as to afford a iirm support for the spring, the bottom coil being secured to a slat, C, by staples b.

The four corner supporting springs are braced by coiled stay-springs B. Each stayspring is attached at one end to a corner supporting-spring beneath its enlarged top coil and at its other end is attached to a slat, as at D. The supporting-springs at the edges (the sides and ends) of thebed-bottom are connected by horizontal stay-springs d. The supporting-springs are flexibly united with each other by means of connecting coiled springs and chains. As in this instance shown, two arrangements of connecting spring and chains are represented, there being in each arrangement a part spring and part chain connection between adjacent supporting-springs. One of these arrangements-that which I prefer for flexibly uniting the four supporting-springs,

which are arranged at and adjacent to each of the four corners of the loed-bottom-is as follows: A corner group, consisting of four springs, including an extreme corner-spring and the three springs adjacent thereto, are flexibly united by means of four coiled connecting-springs, E, each of which springs is attached at one of its ends to the top coil of one of the supporting-springs ofthe group and at its opposite end is linked to an endless chain, F, located midway between the four springs of the group, as plainly shown in Fig. 1.

By the other arrangement all the springs of respectively adjacent rows, except the cornersprings, are united with each other by means of connecting coiled springs and chains in the following way: To the top coils ofthe respectively adjacent supporting-springs of an end row, omitting the corner-springs, are attached the opposite ends of chains G. These chains (a sufficient number of which, it will be understood, are provided for connecting every supporting-spring with the adjacent supporting-spring of its row, excepting the cornersprings) are each of a length greater than that between the adjacent springs of a row, in order to provide for the needed play of the springs, as will readily be understood, the slack of the springs being taken up by their springconnection with the supporting-springs in an adjacent row. Connecting-springs H, secured to the top coil of each supporting-spring of the row of springs next the end row, and of every succeeding alternate row of springs, project in a horizontal and radial direction, as plainly shown, and are connected at their outer ends with the connecting-chains G of the respectively adjacent rows of supporting-springs at either side of a spring-provided row of supporting-springs.

By this system of connecting the supportingl springs by coiled connecting springs and chains it will be seen that, while each supportingspring is sustained against injurious lateral motion, great flexibility and perfect freedom of movement to the desired extent, is allowed the respective supporting springs, while greater durability and strength is attained than could be secured were the chains dispensed with, as obviously the chains are stronger and will last longer without injury than the connecting-springs, the number of which is decreased in proportion correspondingto the number of connections provided by means of the chains. It will also be obvious that bythe system of flexibly uniting the supporting-springs at the corners of the bed-bottom there is also imparted greater strength and durability than would be attained by the employment of the connecting-springs without the chains, as the connecting-springs between the corner groups of supporting-springs are made shorter than they could be made were the connecting-chains dispensed with, consequently there is less liability of their becoming weakened or otherwise impared by use I do not wish to be understood as confining my invention to the precise constructions and arrangements-of devices as in detail described, as my improvements are susceptible of modi'- cations in some respects without departing from the sprit of my invention, the leading feature" of which is the part spring and part chain connection-betweenadjacentsupportingsprings.

:ively adjacent supporting-springs of the row,

an adjacent row of supportingsprings, and

theconnect'ing-springs by which they are ilexibly united with said connecting-chains, for the purpose described.v y

In testimony whereof I have herennlioi subscribed my name.

JEREMIAH M. M. GERNERU.

Witnesses:

R. S. ZEISERING, DANL. Z. WALKER. 

